Shootings on readers’ minds

Editorial page readers responded to ClickBack questions about the Fort Hood shootings and the upcoming Senate vote on health care.

What conclusions should be drawn about the Fort Hood shootings?

What conclusion? How about this — do not trust any Muslim. Our liberal, “everyone welcome” attitude just killed some more Americans, killed us in the past and will kill more of us in the future. What on Earth was someone with a name like Nidal Hasan ever doing in our military? WTF266

That anyone in the armed forces who has ethnic connections with groups or nations we are in armed conflict with is undoubtedly going to feel some level of personal conflict, at some point. (Doesn’t that almost qualify for a “duh”?)David889327

More than likely there were plenty of warning signs that this man was mentally unstable. Warning signs should be investigated further.Sassyfrazz

How should Sens. Snowe and Collins vote on health care?

There needs to be some sort of universal coverage; preferably it can be done by increasing competition within the insurance industry. Maine, for example, has limited the number of companies that can offer coverage, by asking for certain things. If the clauses for pre-existing conditions, fairness for age-related consumers, etc., can be passed for all states the result would bring increased competition (hopefully), that would bring the costs down considerably.LarrySG

There is a reason that all fast food restaurants sell $1 hamburgers — competition. Enact a public option for five years. If insurance costs decrease, then allow the insurance companies to bid on covering those in the public option. And the bid must include insurance companies outside of our area code. This enables more competition. Sens. Snowe and Collins need to listen to the people of Maine first and then their party leaders. There is room for improvement in the current bill. It can be tweaked to satisfy both parties. But the party that obstructs or defeats this bill will ultimately bankrupt this country. And reality dictates that senators like Snowe and Collins will be the deciding factors.Pjramsay

I hope they vote like conservative Republicans for a change. We need to reform the insurance companies. Laws and restrictions on them need to be done on a national level so that all states have the same options. Public option is a no go. It is a waste of money. Look at Dirigo Health for all the proof you need.MAineAc

Neither the bill the House passed last weekend nor the bill before the Senate now is worth wasting any more time on. They give us nothing except larger bills from the insurance moguls. Our Senators should vote this bill down and give us a new start, free of the greed of the insurance companies with access to good health care for all.We need single-payer health care now, not health insurance reform. JackHarrington

Sens. Collins and Snowe should stand firm against this public option nonsense. The people of Maine don’t want any more government interference in their lives, they have enough to deal with out of Augusta.The premise of this question is so slanted, just like this paper’s desperate, pro-public option reporting. The people of Maine do not want a public option. They want a cleanup of the insurance and health care industries, they want a fair shake from insurers, the want their costs lowered. That’s what should be focused on.FreddyWashington

Like any government program, a public option will draw more resources away from the private sector where real jobs are created and prosperity is generated. Taking more resources away from businesses, large or small, is not a healthy proposition even in the best of economic times and, in case it’s escaped the attention of our representatives and senators, these are the worst of economic times.I would like our senators to stand firm, address the real issues of spiraling costs in the health care system, and not to support a public option.MarkJEllis